Ralph Sampson III left the raised Williams Arena floor for the final time with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks, no turnovers and a wave to the crowd when he was taken out near the end and hugged by coach Tubby Smith.

The Gophers (18-13, 6-12 Big Ten) dodged the ignominy of finishing last in the conference, securing the No. 10 seed for next week's tournament.

Bo Spencer scored all 23 of his points in the second half, making 7 of 12 3-pointers, but that wasn't enough for the Huskers (12-17, 4-14), who finished their first Big Ten season with eight losses in their last nine games. Dylan Talley added 16 points.